Alexa Levesque
EDC 102H
9/22/12
High School Experience
I was fortunate enough to go to a high school where I was able to learn in an uninterrupted environment. Although this may not have been the case in every class that Prout had to offer, it was my experience that the classes included students who were all there to learn and grow.
I was able to take honors classes along with AP and IB courses throughout my four years. Because these types of classes were offered to me, I had the advantage of beginning to work at a college level before I actually came to URI. Most importantly, I was challenged in the majority of my classes, and all of my really did want to teach, and took pride in their jobs as well as our success.
Since I went to a private school, we were not subject to the rules of public American high schools. Because of this, we were able to learn in the ways that our teachers saw fit, without having to worry about learning material only for a standardized test. We learned, for the most part, through discussion based classes that tested our critical thinking skills and asked us to go beyond our normal thought process and dig deeper to reach new ideas. For me, this was much more successful because it tested skills that I may not have discovered if I had been in classes that stressed test scores.
Though I would have probably done just as well if my classes were formed around a standardized test curriculum, I would not have the same type of knowledge that I do today. To me, being able to think things through, formulate an opinion and find true examples to support ideas is an invaluable skill that I have only because of my high school education. Even in my classes that I would consider “easy”, real thought and analysis was necessary to complete to the best of my ability.
Some of my favorite classes were English, however they were labeled as English classes, they were mostly about synthesizing ideas and supporting our claims. For me, it was strange that I enjoyed English as much as I did especially since I am not an avid reader, as many of my classmates were. More than many English classes that I had taken in the past, these focused more on the ideas behind the books and the themes and how they apply to the bigger picture of culture, politics, and life as a whole. To me, these were the thoughts that captured my attention the most, and have impacted me in the biggest ways.
Although academics are the most important part of high school, I was also able to become involved in the school community in multiple ways. I was a part of varsity sports, serving as our Volleyball team captain last year. I experienced two different State Championship titles, danced in school recitals, had my pottery exhibited in an art show, and I participated in toy drives and community service with my classmates.
Overall, I had a phenomenal high school experience where I not only expanded my knowledge base, but also was able to involve myself in numerous activities that allowed me to explore my talents and also give back to our community.
EDC 102H
9/22/12
High School Experience
I was fortunate enough to go to a high school where I was able to learn in an uninterrupted environment. Although this may not have been the case in every class that Prout had to offer, it was my experience that the classes included students who were all there to learn and grow.
I was able to take honors classes along with AP and IB courses throughout my four years. Because these types of classes were offered to me, I had the advantage of beginning to work at a college level before I actually came to URI. Most importantly, I was challenged in the majority of my classes, and all of my really did want to teach, and took pride in their jobs as well as our success.
Since I went to a private school, we were not subject to the rules of public American high schools. Because of this, we were able to learn in the ways that our teachers saw fit, without having to worry about learning material only for a standardized test. We learned, for the most part, through discussion based classes that tested our critical thinking skills and asked us to go beyond our normal thought process and dig deeper to reach new ideas. For me, this was much more successful because it tested skills that I may not have discovered if I had been in classes that stressed test scores.
Though I would have probably done just as well if my classes were formed around a standardized test curriculum, I would not have the same type of knowledge that I do today. To me, being able to think things through, formulate an opinion and find true examples to support ideas is an invaluable skill that I have only because of my high school education. Even in my classes that I would consider “easy”, real thought and analysis was necessary to complete to the best of my ability.
Some of my favorite classes were English, however they were labeled as English classes, they were mostly about synthesizing ideas and supporting our claims. For me, it was strange that I enjoyed English as much as I did especially since I am not an avid reader, as many of my classmates were. More than many English classes that I had taken in the past, these focused more on the ideas behind the books and the themes and how they apply to the bigger picture of culture, politics, and life as a whole. To me, these were the thoughts that captured my attention the most, and have impacted me in the biggest ways.
Although academics are the most important part of high school, I was also able to become involved in the school community in multiple ways. I was a part of varsity sports, serving as our Volleyball team captain last year. I experienced two different State Championship titles, danced in school recitals, had my pottery exhibited in an art show, and I participated in toy drives and community service with my classmates.
Overall, I had a phenomenal high school experience where I not only expanded my knowledge base, but also was able to involve myself in numerous activities that allowed me to explore my talents and also give back to our community.